


Crystal Home for Lost Gems

by Barbara_Lazuli



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Human AU, Orphanage AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 14:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11254737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: Having died due to childbirth, Rose Quartz left a lot behind - her husband, her friends, and her son.Steven never truly knew his mother in spite of all the stories his father Greg has told him about her so when Greg had to temporarily leave him with Rose's old friends, he took it as an opportunity to know more about her and the life she lived.In the Crystal Home for Lost Gems, an orphanage the Quartz family owned, Steven finds a family in the "gems" that have been longing for one.





	Crystal Home for Lost Gems

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys! I've had this idea in my head for over a year now and only now will I get to post an official chapter. Whoo!

Houses, trees and street lamps can be seen dashing past the window as Greg Universe’s van drives through the streets of a sleepy town called Beach City. On the passenger’s seat is Steven Universe, a twelve year old boy with a mess of curly black hair wearing his favourite salmon-pink shirt. Except for the music from the radio, it’s silent up until the boy’s father spoke.

“Hey, Steven?”

Having heard his father’s voice, Steven turns his attention from the window.

“Hmmm?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet there, bud. Just half an hour ago, you were gushing about how you’ll finally be able to see Pearl and the others.”

“Just,” Steven considers his answer for a moment, “thinking.”

“Oh? About what?” Greg tries to make as much eye contact as he can, but with him driving, short glances are all he can manage. 

“Just… stuff. Mom stuff.”

“Oh,” Greg, who always seemed to have a phantom of a smile on his face, frowns. “Oh…”

“Not bad stuff, though,” Steven is quick to say. “Just, you know, mom stuff. I never really went to the place where Mom grew up. Well, at least, not when I could remember. I guess I just realized that. Then, I got a little nervous.”

“Yeah,” his father chuckles, his smile slowly coming back. “The last time we were here, you were just a few months old.”

A few months since Rose died.

Greg didn’t really say it, but he didn’t have to. Steven knew.

Rose Quartz-Universe died at the age of twenty-five, shortly after giving birth to Steven. “Too much blood was lost,” his father had said. A funeral was held and goodbyes were said – to Rose for her passing, and to Greg and baby Steven before they left for Empire city.

Steven used to always wonder why they never visited Beach city before now. It was so full of Rose’s memories. The orphanage her family owned is located there, and so were the people she either grew up with or helped raise. It was where she lived. When Steven asked these things, his father replied with, “Well… I guess it’s because of all the things you just said,” before he turned on the T.V. so Steven could watch the Crying Breakfast Friends.

He doesn’t really understand, but he guesses that maybe going to your dead wife’s hometown and dealing with the memories that go along with it must be exhausting - maybe even painful. Steven’s not sure. He doesn’t really know how to feel about her.

“Okay bud, we’re here.”

Carefully, Greg parks the van in front of what appears to be an old but well taken-care of building. Over the gate, there is an arch that can be seen the words “Crystal Home for Lost Gems” beautifully written in loopy letters.

“Whoa…” 

Steven can feel his eyes widen as he goes to open the door and outside the van, all the while his eyes never leaving the old building. 

“Mom lived here?” Steven asks as he trails after his father who is opening the back of the van. From there, he produces three bags: Steven’s cheeseburger-shaped backpack, hotdog-shaped duffel bag and a normal traveling bag. He reliefs his father of the backpack while Greg carries the remaining two. 

“Mmm, not at first. She had her own house, near the beach, but she decided to just completely move here. It was easier to run the orphanage that way.”

Stopping in front of the gate, Greg presses a button that must’ve been the doorbell. Nervousness creeps inside of Steven as they wait. He kept on shifting from his toes to the balls of his feet. Steven isn’t usually concerned about meeting new people, but this is Pearl. She was Rose’s closest friend and his godmother. What if she doesn’t like him? He’s going to be living with her for the next few months. It would be a problem if she indeed didn’t. 

Greg was about to press the doorbell again when the door finally swings open. A tall woman with strawberry blonde hair and pale skin comes rushing towards the gate. As she nears both father and son, Steven could recognize her as Pearl Hugh. She probably has the brightest pair of blue eyes he has ever seen. 

“I’m soooo sorry to keep you waiting,” Pearl says as she unlocks the gates. “We were taking care of something. Please, let me take one of those uhh… that’s a bag, right?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Greg brushes off the offer just as he ignores her question. “These guns can handle it.”

His father flexes what Steven knows to be his non-existent biceps, but Pearl isn’t impressed. Quite the opposite, even. 

“Ah, yes,” Pearl smiles politely. “It’s nice to see you again, Greg.”

“You, too, Pearl.”

The situation looks a bit awkward, if Steven’s being honest. Fortunately, the moment is cut short when Pearl finally notices Steven. She crouches down so she’s finally eye level with him and gently cups his chubby cheeks with her pale, slender hands. 

“And you must be Steven.” Pearl’s hands are warm and so is her smile. Her blue eyes dart around his face, as if she’s looking for something. “I’m Pearl. Oh my goodness. Oh, you’ve grown sooo much…”

“Yeah, well, horishontally at leasht,” he tries to make his joke as clear as possible, but his cheeks are being squished pretty uncomfortably. “People shay I’m a little shorter than a twelve-year-old should be. It’sh naish to meet you.”

Pearl chuckles as she straightens up. She leads them inside the house where they are met by the squeels of girls playing. Two girls run past them, the taller one with short bleached hair, the shorter one with long black hair, and both laughing madly as they are chased by a third girl, an older teenager.

“Get back here, you little sh-“ the third girl shouts after them but Pearl interrupts her. 

“Cynthia!”

The girl sighs and slowly turns toward them. Her green eye that isn’t covered by her long blonde hair looks angry and intense. Steven guesses they weren’t playing after all. 

“Honestly,” Pearl sighs, “being violent with your sisters is unacceptable!”

“Those brats are not my sisters,” the girl named Cynthia sneers. “You and Garnet aren’t my mom either.”

With a click of her tongue, she turns and leaves, climbing the stairs for the second floor.

“Wow,” Steven exhales. “She sure is one tough cookie. I like her hair. It’s all spiky and stuff.”

Pearl heaves another sigh before facing Steven and Greg again. “I’m sorry about her. She’s a little… more difficult to handle than the other girls. Honestly they are all difficult in their own way but Cynthia is a special case. Just a week ago, she brought beetles inside the house to keep as pets! Opal was terrified.”

“Yeesh,” Greg cringes as they follow Pearl up the stairs. His father doesn’t like insects all that much, but Steven thinks they’re pretty cool. “I get it. Teenagers are a handful. I mean, _I_ was a handful back then, too!”

 

“Yes, yes, you probably were,” Pearl distractedly says. “Oh, here we are.” They stop in front of a door at the end of the hall.

When she swings the door open, a room that can only be described as pink is presented before them. The wallpaper is covered by pink flowers, the carpet and bed sheet also in different shades of pink. Steven can’t believe it. He’s never seen so much pink in one room before; probably the only things in there that aren’t are the closet and drawer cabinet beside the bed.

 

“I apologize for the color of the room,” Pearl starts. “It, uh, used to be Rose’.” She shoots Greg ‘a look’. Steven doesn’t exactly know what it means but he has noticed that it’s something adults often use with other adults when they are hiding something. “I know it isn’t usually preferred by young boys –“

 

“Are you kidding me?” When Pearl turns to look at Steven, she’s surprised to see a huge smile on his face. “This is the best thing I have ever seen! Pink’s my favourite color, see?” He pulls on his shirt so that she can see clearly what he means.

Pearl smiles the same way she has ever since she laid eyes on him and it makes Steven feel all warm inside. “Well, I’m very glad that you like it.”

Steven thanks her before looking around the room again, his eyes landing on the framed pictures resting atop the bedside drawer. Upon closer inspection, Steven can see his mother in the first picture. She’s as beautiful as she is on the other pictures Steven has seen, her peaceful and kind face framed by her pink-dyed hair.

“Wow,” Steven gasps, “Mom was really pretty, huh?”

Pearl doesn’t answer. She just looks at Greg with a flushed face. He smiles.

“She’s the prettiest woman I ever saw.”

Suddenly, Greg’s phone rings from his pants’ pocket. After taking a look at the caller’s I.D. his smile is replaced by an apologetic look.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” Carefully, he places Steven’s bags on the bed and leaves him alone with Pearl.

“Ok,” Steven says, turning to look at the second picture. 

In it, his mother wasn’t alone. Standing in front of the Crystal Home are four girls. One of them is Rose Quartz, who looked like she was around twenty when the picture was taken. 

Cradled in her arms is a young child, younger than Steven. Despite being a child, her short curly hair is grey, not unlike an old person’s. Steven thinks it’s pretty cool. He has seen anime characters with other colourful hair. He wishes he could have his colored, too, instead of just being boring old black.

Standing to Rose’s left is a tall, dark teenager. Judging by the pair of dark shades covering her eyes and huge afro she’s sporting, Steven determines that the girl must be Garnet.

The last girl is clinging to Rose’s right arm, a teenager with strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Teenage Pearl looked so happy beside Rose.

Taking the second picture in his hand, Steven sits down on the edge of the bed. He invites Pearl to sit beside him with a pat on the comforter and a smile on his face. She complies.

“You guys look really young here,” Steven comments, legs swinging and eyes focused on the picture. They all look really small next to Rose. She must have been really tall.

“Yes, I believe that was around the time we took in Amethyst,” Pearl says. “About fourteen years ago.”

“You mean Aunt Amethyst?”

“Yes. Do you see that little girl Rose is carrying?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That was Amethyst when she was really young. Rose took her in when she was abandoned by her family.”

“Abandoned?” Frowning, Steven’s mood turns sad. “Why would anyone abandon their kid?”

“Uh, that’s,” suddenly, Pearl realizes something. She’s flustered and her eyes dart everywhere. “It’s not really my place to say. I-I shouldn’t have told you anything in the first place.”

“Oh. Okay. I understand.” He doesn’t really, but he has noticed that saying those words calm adults down. “But.. she must have been really sad. To be left behind.”

“Oh, Steven,” Pearl gently places a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Because of your mother, Amethyst grew happy. For every child that she took in, she treated like her own but with Amethyst, she truly did love her like a daughter. She’s coming home for summer break so you’ll be meeting her later when she arrives.”

“Really?”

“Hh-hhmm. We’ll introduce you to everyone later. You’ve already seen Su, Donnie and Cynthia a moment ago and later you’ll see Opal, Peridot and – Oh! Garnet!”

Pearl stands to walk toward a tall lady standing by the doorway. Most of her handsome face is covered by her shades but it’s all Steven needs to recognize Garnet. He doesn’t really know anyone else whose hair is styled like a square afro anyway.

“Steven, this is Garnet,” Pearl gestures toward said woman. “She runs the orphanage now.”

“Hello,” Steven bashfully says.

Garnet only stays quiet with a smile. She walks toward him and, to Steven’s surprise, lifts him by his armpits like he weighed nothing at all.

“Hello, Steven,” Garnet says, her calm voice laced with a Brittish accent. 

Even Steven’s father couldn’t carry him anymore without trouble so he can’t help but giggle at his current position.

“Wow. You’re really strong.”

“You’re not that heavy.”

He knows that it isn’t true but he laughs anyway. “Can I touch your hair?” he asks since he can reach it now, anyway. Garnet is a tall woman. Probably not as tall as Rose but still.

“Sure,” she replies with a shrug.

He reaches out and giggles again at how soft it is. His petting is interrupted, however, when he notices the color blue from beyond the door. Leaning on the wall beside the doorway is a teenage girl with striking blue hair looking at them with a raised brow.

“Hi,” he greets the pretty stranger. “I like your hair.”

She doesn’t answer but scoffs in a way that covers her laughter before walking off toward the stairs. 

“Wow. That’s the closest to a smile that I’ve ever seen on her face.” Garnet’s face remains stoic but Steven can sense that she really was impressed.

“She seems nice,” Steven honestly says with a smile. “Will she be eating dinner with us?”

“Oh, unfortunately not,” Pearl says. “I will be taking Lapis to her foster parents’ today. She’ll be staying with them for a few weeks so they know whether they want to actually adopt her or not.”

“ _If_ Lapis even wants to be adopted,” Garnet interjects as she Puts Steven down.

“Yes, well, who knows? Maybe she’ll like Mr. and Mrs. Glass.” 

Unlike Garnet, Pearl is very expressive when she talks. She speaks like she’s singing and constantly flourishes with her hands. “Oh it’s already time for us to leave. I’m sorry, Steven. Garnet will help you unpack instead.”

“It’s okay.” Steven smiles. “Be careful.”

With a tight hug for Steven, she leaves and calls after Lapis. Steven and Garnet get started as soon as Pearl leaves the room, Steven’s belongings slowly taking their place in a room Rose used to own.

**Author's Note:**

> I have sketches for this au on my tumblr tagged 'crystal home' or 'orphanage au'
> 
> Here is the cover art : 
> 
> https://barbara-lazuli.tumblr.com/post/162038055373/cover-art-for-my-orphanage-au-crystal-home-for?is_highlighted_post=1


End file.
